Thamar Melanie Heijstra

Because She Is a Woman: Gender Inequalities in the
Rank of Full Professor

Thamar Melanie Heijstra (University of Iceland):
Apart from the Geysers and its cold climate, Iceland, like the other Nordic countries, is known for its welfare system, and presumably high levels of gender equality. Iceland is one of the few European countries where women occupy 25% of the full professor positions (Gerritsen, Verdonk and Visser, 2009). The data used for this presentation derive from a mixed-method research project that revolves around work circumstances, work-family balance and well-being of academics in Iceland. Here, I will mainly discuss outcomes based on quantitative survey data that were collected in the autumn of 2010. The analysis shows that academic women climb the career ladder at a slower pace than academic men. Work-related issues are found to explain some, but not all, of the gender differences, while family-related issues only play an insignificant role. Overall, the evidence suggests that the academic pipeline is leaking despite Iceland's reputation in gender equality.

Advanced Research Consortium on Gender, Culture and the Knowledge Society